O level Notes: Agriculture - Farms Infrastructure - Farm buildings
Farm buildings are structures which are constructed at the farm for the purposes of storing produce, inputs like fertilizers, seed, chemicals, stock feed or for sheltering farm animals especially calves, pigs, chickens and goats.
Farm buildings have different plans and designs depending on the purpose of the building and level of technology or mechanization. This section of farm buildings looks at plans of buildings suitable for livestock, mainly calves, pigs and chickens.
Livestock building planning and designing
- Draw a pig sty and show cubicles for furrowing, boar, sow and piglets room.
- Draw 3 fowl runs of different plans and dimensions.
- Draw 3 calfpens ofdifferent plans and dimensions.
Calculating costs of construction
This is when one determines quantities of construction materials and establishes the unit price of materials to come with the total cost of construction.
Bricks
To calculate the cost of the bricks needed to construct a building, use length, width and height dimensions on the plan. Calculate the number of bricks needed using specifications or bill of quantity based on the plan and then multiply the number of bricks by the cost of each brick. For example:
total number of bricks required is 5000 x $0.50 each
brick =$2 500.00 cost of bricks.
Window frames, door frames and asbestos sheets
Get quotations from different hardware shops and compare the prices from the quotations. Depending on the number of the materials on the plan, calculate by multiplying the number needed and the cost of material on the plan.
The building should not depreciate before the cost of building the structure is recovered. Depreciation is loss of value of a building which occurs over time due to wear and tear.
Farm roads
Get quotations from different hardware shops and determine the number of cement bags required for the building from the plan, based on mixing ratio of concrete and mortar.
After determining the cost of each material required, sum up all the totals to establish the cost of constructing the building, and add the cost of labour as well.
Determining the cost effectiveness of each material
The cost effectiveness shows whether a product is worth the cost. Usually, to come up with the cost effectiveness, it is important to compare costs against returns which will be obtained from the purpose of the building. For the building material to be cost effective, it should be durable and last for many years so that costs are recovered during the use of the building.
Good network of farm roads is essential so that a farmer will be able to reach every part of the farm. Well established farm roads make it possible to access all comers of the farm using vehicles or tractors. Good network of farm roads makes it easier to supply the inputs to the field or to ferry crops or produce to the farm house and storage facilities. Farm roads should be all weather roads, that is, they should be usable throughout the year.
Materials and equipment or tools required for the construction of a farm road
Materials needed for the construction of farm roads are gravel, cement, quarry stones and drainage pipes. Equipment and tools needed for construction of farm roads include damp level, pegs, hammers, pruning saws, wheelbarrows, mattocks, axes and a grader. It is imperative that the correct tools be available in order to carry out the work easily.
Construction of a farm road
Road construction process follows a laid down plan. The following are the procedures to be done and principles to be followed when constructing a farm road.
Road construction should be done after the end of the rain season to prevent damaging the soil around the road and to prevent soil erosion.
Road gradient or slope on a farm road should not be more than 1 :20.
Siting of farm roads
Major farm roads should be properly sited. If farm roads are not sited, and created normally, soil erosion will occur and land degradation will occur on the farm. Roads should be sited on higher ground or watershed area so that they drain off water from the roads during ramy season.
Small and minor roads should branch from the main road going to the field and paddocks. Avoid steeper gradient which will be more than one in 25 metres and low-lying areas and valleys or streams as these increase the costs of farm roads as bridges will be expensive to construct.
Siting is done using a kent or damp level machine or abney level.
Marking and pegging the road
After siting the road, the road should be marked and pegs should be placed along the path to be created.
The pegs mark and show the actual position of the road.
Clearing the marked and pegged area
When marking has been done, this is followed by clearing the marked area by cutting down trees, stumping using axes, mattocks, and machetes. In some cases, clearing can be done by a caterpillar or a bulldozer. Using a caterpillar or bulldozer is very expensive because when hired, its working rate is charged per hour.
Grading
This is shaping of cleared road path using a self• propelled motorised grader or tractor-drawn grader. Grading is done to shape the road so that it is cambered. A cambered road has a raised crown so that it drains off water from the road surface. Soil is scrapped with a mouldboard of a grader from road sides and piled at the crown or centre of the road so that the road is raised higher than the general ground by around 15 to
30cm. When grading and shaping of the road is done, mitre drains are then created on the road side at 45° angle to the road. Road width ranges between 3 to 6 metres wide.
Construction of mitres drains
Mitres drains are channels which are constructed on the sides of the road at a 45angle to the road to carry away water flowing along the road side. Mitres drains should take away and dispose off water to a well grassed area. The mitre drains should not be steep but should be flat to prevent soil erosion. The spacing of which mitre drains are placed depends on the slop of land and soil type. When land is steep sloping, place drains near each other so that water does not flow over long distance along road sides. In sandy soil, place mitre drains close to each other because sandy soil is easily eroded.
Mitre drains should be dish or u-shaped and should be a gradient of 1 :50.
Road surfacing with gravel
Apply gravel or laterite (reddish clayey materials) on the road surface and compact it with a tractor drawn rammer. Gravel makes roads less slippery during the rainy season. Gravel also prevents fast wear and tear of farm roads.
However, application of gravel makes road construction expensive. Therefore, minor feeder roads to paddocks or fields may not need to be surfaced with gravel.
Construction of culverts and inverts on roads Culverts and inverts are structures constructed m roads for channelling water across the road from one side to the other without damaging or eroding the road surface.
Culverts
Culverts are pipe drains which are put on areas with streams or valleys so that water will flow under them on the road.
Culverts are concrete pipes which are reinforced with iron and are laid buried crossing roads on sections with streams or valleys.
One, two or more concrete pipes can be laid down on the road section with a stream safely diverting flowing water underneath the road. The concrete piping is supported with stones and concrete, to hold the concrete pipes in position.
Inverts
An invert is a concrete slab laid over a valley or a depression so that water flows on top ofthe concrete slab across the road without eroding road surface. An invert should be strong enough and should withstand flooding water flowing over it.
Discussion on farm road construction
- In your groups, discuss construction of farm roads
- 2. Compare notes with another group.
- 3. List down common discussion points.
Maintenance of farm roads
To maintain farm roads in good condition, the following maintenance should be carried out from time to time.
- Re-grade the road periodically to close the potholes or ruts. Re-grading can be done by pulling old tyres joined together using a tractor or can be done by a tractor drawn grader. Re-grading also helps to re-shape and restore the road camber shape.
- Open silted mitre drains so that they are able to drain away water flowing on road side drains.
- Remove soil from inside culverts or concrete pipes and on top of inverts to allow free flowing of water beneath and above the invert.
- Cut trees near the edges of the road. Trees should be 5 metres away from the edge of farm roads.
- Re-surface the road with gravel periodically to close pot-holes.
- Cut tall grasses on the edges of the road.
Watching a video on farm road siting, construction and maintenance
Search for internet videos on farm road construction using available electronic communication gadgets that can access the internet or visit a local road under construction.
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